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more than 10,000 marijuana plants. If allowed to mature, authorities said the marijuana would have had a street value of $40 million. Authorities report extensive damage at the grow sites. Those growing the marijuana used liquid fertilizers and altered natural water courses to water and fertilize the illegal plants. The native vegetation was clear-cut, and the mountainous terrain was terraced to allow for water storage reservoirs. Trash was also found in the area. The grow sites comprised more than 10 acres of public lands. The cost of restoring land damaged by illegal marijuana groves is approximately $11,000 per acre, the Sheriff’s Department reports…… http://www.recorderonline.com/news/area-42533-park-marijuana.html Major marijuana eradication in Merced County Tom MacKenzie, Merced County Sheriff's Department /8/02/2009 About a dozen officers consisting of Merced Sheriff’s Deputies and MMHIDTA Agents along with the Sheriff’s helicopter, working off a Federal Grant, hit three locations where marijuana grows were spotted. The first location on Arburua Road inside a canyon had an irrigation drip system that went on for miles to bring water to the plants. There were two more locations, one on Wolfsen Road and one on Washington Road that were hit early Saturday morning. In all, 35,500 plants were seized. According to Sergeant Steve Sziraki some of the plants ranged anywhere from four to twelve feet in height. Officers in Merced County seize about 35,000 marijuana plants at three separate locations this weekend. With that many plants in different phases of growth, and at a street value the team eradicated over $50,000,000 worth of marijuana. The teams came across sophisticated encampments where suspects would stay for days on end to tend to their gardens. They also found approximately 15 to 20 lbs of trimmed “bud” that the suspects had already harvested from the plants. Http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story/Major-marijuana-eradication-in-Merced-County/2pRzEK838UGFI3DecjLiHg.cspx U.S. Forests Become Toxic Marijuana Plantations August 02, 2009 Phil Taylor reports for the New York Times that Mexican drug cartels have taken over state and federal park land to cultivate marijuana fields which are destroying the environment: "Mexican drug trafficking organizations have been operating on public lands to cultivate marijuana, with serious consequences for the environment and public safety," said Gil Kerlikowske, chief of the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy. * * * The drug plantations are as much an environmental menace as they are a public safety threat. Growers in Fresno County used a cocktail of pesticides and fertilizers many times stronger than what is used on residential lawns to cultivate their crop. "This stuff leaches out pretty quickly," said Shane Krogen, executive director of the High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew in charge of helping clear the land of chemicals and trash so it can begin its slow restoration. While the chemical Medical Marijuana and Associated Issues California Chiefs of Police Association Medical Marijuana Task Force July to September 2009 18 pesticides kill insects and other organisms directly, fertilizer runoff contaminates local waterways and aids in the growth of algae and weeds. The vegetation in turn impedes water flows that are critical to frogs, toads and salamanders in the Kings and San Joaquin rivers, Krogen said. * * * Bankrolled by sophisticated drug cartels, suppliers are sidestepping border patrols to grow in relative obscurity on Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service lands across the West and even into the Southeast. "It's easier to cross the border to grow marijuana on public lands than to grow it in Mexico and smuggle it across," Krogen said. * * * "There is a growing issue of marijuana cultivation on public lands in the U.S., especially in California and Oregon, and it appears they have discovered southwestern Idaho," said BLM special agent in charge Loren Good. Temperate climates on the West Coast have nurtured what has become a booming marijuana market. * * * "It's definitely a trend," said Keith McGrath, a law enforcement officer in BLM's Idaho office who was part of last month's raid in a far-flung desert canyon. "We're seeing a shift to more organized grows and larger grows," McGrath said. "They're being set up and run through the cartels, and it's becoming a big chunk of our work load." http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/friends_of_ ours/2009/08/us-forests-become-toxic-marijuanaplantations.html Alameda County reporting record marijuana finds Tuesday, August 4, 2009 Martinez, Calif. (AP) --Sgt. Shawn Peterson says with a discovery Monday of more than 11,000 plants growing in a rural area, deputies have seized about 75,000 marijuana plants for the year. Last year, the Alameda County deputies set the agency's previous record, finding about 30,000 marijuana plants across the county. Peterson says the marijuana gardens deputies are finding are planted by drug trafficking organizations, with much of the harvested marijuana being sold out of state. Officials aren't saying how much more marijuana they expect to find, but note the growing season runs for two more months. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/08/04/state/n201820D13.DTL&tsp=1 Deputies Eradicate $26M In Marijuana August 4, 2009 LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. --On Tuesday, Deputies assigned to the Kern County Sheriff's Office Major Violators Unit were assisted by Agents of the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. Deputies executed a search warrant on BLM property near Erskine Creek, which is approximately seven miles southwest of Lake Isabella. Deputies and Agents located and eradicated approximately 4100 Marijuana plants, the KCSD reported. The grow appeared to have been abandoned and many of the plants were dying or were dead from lack of water. Deputies located a separate Marijuana garden approximately one mile away. They served a separate search warrant for this garden, the KCSD reported. reported. Deputies located and eradicated 2406 Marijuana plants, the KCSD reported. The plants were healthy and appeared to be freshly watered. Deputies followed a water line from the garden. The water line which was partially buried, led to a residential property approximately a half mile away, the KCSD reported. The property had a small residential camper, water tanks, and other storage campers and sheds on it. Deputies obtained and served a search warrant for the property, the KCSD reported. Deputies located several pounds of processed Marijuana, waterline, fertilizer, two Marijuana plants, and six rifles on the property, the KCSD reported. The owner of the property could not be located initially. This investigation is continuing. The estimated value of the seized Marijuana is $26,000,000. http://www.turnto23.com/news/20283427/detail.ht ml Medical Marijuana and Associated Issues California Chiefs of Police Association Medical Marijuana Task Force July to September 2009 19 Palo Alto raid nets $60M worth of marijuana The Associated Press /08/07/2009 PALO ALTO, Calif.—Law enforcement officers have seized about $60 million worth of marijuana in a raid that took out two large pot gardens in the Palo Alto hills. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department worked with other agencies in Wednesday's bust, which netted about 20,000 marijuana plants. No arrests were made, but the officers also discovered some ammunition, a Taser-type weapon and some evidence of poaching. In June, authorities seized about 5,500 marijuana plants with a street value of $15 million during a raid of a nearby garden. http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_13016100 Marijuana-operation raid on U.S. Forest Service land results in arrest Staff reports • August 9, 2009 Law-enforcement personnel found and destroyed 7,439 marijuana plants worth a potential $29.8 million during a a Friday operation on U.S. Forest Service Land near Badger, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department reported. One arrest was made. Juventino Solis Servantez, whose age was estimated at 42, was booked on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana. The plants were found on five sites along Pierce Valley Road, according to the release. The growers used chemical fertilizers and had altered natural water courses to irrigate the plants, officials said. The mountainous terrain was terraced, causing extensive damage, according to the release. A large amount of trash also was found. Estimated cost to restore the land: $11,000 per acre. http://www.visaliatimesdelta.co m/article/20090809/NEWS01/90809007/1002/Marijuanaoperation+raid+on+U.S.+Forest+Service+land+results+in+arrest Marijuana raid nets 8,444 pot plants By Record Searchlight staff /August 10, 2009 LAKE SHASTA — More than 8,400 marijuana plants were destroyed today following a raid in the Backbone Creek area of Lake Shasta, a spokesman for the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office said. No suspects were arrested in the raid, which saw 8,444 pot plants found and destroyed. The multi-agency pot raid was conducted by the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Eradication Team (SMET) with assistance from agents with the state Park Service and the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting. http://www.redding.com/news/2009/aug/10/marijuana-raid-nets-8444-pot-plants/Surprise raid by law enforcement seizes 23,000 marijuana plants owned by organized crime Friday, August 07, 2009 By Scott Thomas Anderson On Thursday morning, Aug. 6, a fast-moving team of law enforcement officers stormed a camp and marijuana-growing facility hidden in a densely wooded area far above Pioneer. The grow appears to have been owned by a mafia crime syndicate south of the border…..As law enforcement officers swept through the woods into the camp, its growers threw down their weapons and quickly fled into the thickest part of the forest. After hours of combing the area, law enforcement found and destroyed more than 23,000 marijuana plants. Their street value is still being calculated. Also recovered were various weapons, chemical fertilizers and other items of physical evidence. The U.S. Forest Service will now try to decide on how to deal with the extreme amount of environmental damage caused by the growing operation -which was located near one of the most pristine areas of the Eldorado National Forest. http://ledger-dispatch.com/news/newsview.asp?c=259626 Medical Marijuana and Associated Issues California Chiefs of Police Association Medical Marijuana Task Force July to September 2009 20 Task force hits drug cartel, largest bust in Amador history By Scott Thomas Anderson /Friday, August 14, 2009 They could hear rain falling through the trees. Crouched with their guns drawn, the SWAT members remained absolutely still until the helicopter roared overhead. Suddenly there was an explosion of movement and a running blur of camouflaged shadows as officers stormed a large marijuana plantation owned by the Mexican mob. When the confusion died, law enforcement began seizing and destroying more than 23,000 marijuana plants which, combined with another 25,600 plants found later, equaled the largest plantation in Amador County's history……Officers also began to calculate the plantation's devastating impact on the terrain, which was located near one of the most pristine areas of the Eldorado National Forest. Various sections of trees had been clear-cut. An entire section of the mountainside had been terraced away and riddled with makeshift watering systems. Thousands of plastic nursery cups were piled high in the vegetation. Closer to the encampment, which looks to have housed five people, the growers ripped gaping holes in the soil and filled them with trash, fertilizer and other toxic chemicals.……Due to the extreme violence of these cartels -which has included the murder of Mexican law enforcement personnel, jury members, eyewitnesses and reporters -the White House has classified them as "terrorists." The immediate danger to California citizens from the cartels has grown in the last decade. In 2000, a father and his 8-year-old son were both shot after stumbling onto a marijuana plantation in El Dorado County during a hunting trip. Though wounded, they survived the encounter. In February 2008, a Santa Rosa man was murdered by cartel growers after entering a plantation in the southern part of Lake County. June 2009 saw growers in Lassen County open fire on law enforcement, wounding two sheriff's deputies and leading to one grower being killed in the exchange. "There have been plenty of shootings related to these operations now," Long said. "There's no doubt they can be violent."……. http://www.ledger-dispatch.com/news/newsview.asp?c=259800&topStory=1 Officers eradicate 5,027 pot plants BURNEY -More than 5,000 marijuana plants were destroyed Friday after law enforcement officials raided a pot-growing operation on Hatchet Mountain near here, a spokesman with the Shasta County Sheriff's Office said. The raid was conducted by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office Marijuana Eradication Team with the assistance of state Department of Justice agents. Some 5,027 marijuana plants were found and destroyed. To date, about 494,000 marijuana plants have been destroyed in Shasta County and 37 arrests have been made this season. The operation is being funded through the Drug Enforcement Administration and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area programs. http://www.redding.com/news/2009/aug/15/north-state-in-brief-aug-15-2009/Yosemite National Park--marijuana garden destroyed August 22, 10:28 AM National Parks Travel Examiner Marilyn Crain One more marijuana garden has been removed from Yosemite. Marijuana farmers have become a real threat to the park. Their determination to continue this lucrative destructive activity requires constant vigilance by the park service in an effort to protect natural resources and visitors to Yosemite. The National Park Service (NPS) announced, "Yosemite National Park Rangers and National Park Service Agents, with assistance from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, eradicated 4,735 marijuana plants valued at nearly $19 million from within the park yesterday [August 20, 2009.] Marijuana cultivation is the most significant illegal and destructive activity occurring within national parks. For Medical Marijuana and Associated Issues California Chiefs of Police Association Medical Marijuana Task Force July to September 2009 21 national parks, it is not a question of public policy or legalization, it is about the intentional misuse of our most treasured natural resources. The growing activity results in degradation to the landscape that includes tree and vegetation clearing, use of various chemicals and fertilizers that pollute the land and contribute to food chain contamination, and construction of ditches and crude dams to divert streams and other water sources with irrigation equipment. Human waste and garbage left behind after a completed harvest is a danger to wildlife, such as bears." Two suspects were seen in the area, but fled before the operation. No arrests were made. http://www.examiner.com/x-4661-National-Parks-Travel-Examiner~y2009m8d22-Yosemite-National-Parkmarijuana-garden-destroyed Topic: DRUGS -on Sunday, 23. August 2009 Record marijuana grow pulled up by the roots in Siskiyou County Police are yanking out more than 200,000 marijuana plants from the Low Gap area just a few miles south of the Oregon state line in Siskiyou County's largest-ever bust and nearly a new record for the state. The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said this morning that it has seized 204,933 pot plants from 13 grow sites on national forestland in the Seiad Creek/Low Gap area of Siskiyou County north the small town of Seiad Valley off of Highway 96 northwest of Yreka. http://sh1.antville.org/stories/1925700/CAMP continues marijuana grow raids in Humboldt The Times-Standard /08/29/2009 The Campaign Against Marijuana Planting eradicated 74,100 marijuana plants during its second week of operations in Humboldt County. Teams were active in outdoor marijuana gardens throughout the county. Personnel from CAMP, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Forest Service made up the teams, according to a Sheriff's Office press release. More than 36,000 plants from U.S. Forest Service property near Waterman Ridge were pulled Monday above Willow Creek. On Tuesday, 2,000 plants were eradicated from timber company property near Shively. In the Redwood Valley area, 17,000 plants were found on timber company property and private property. CAMP ended its week Thursday by eradicating 18,600 plants from Hoopa Valley tribal land near Supply Creek, according to the press release. Handgun ammunition was also found at the Hoopa grow site. Evidence at the grow sites indicates they were operated by drug trafficking organizations, authorities said. To date, CAMP teams in Humboldt County have eradicated 102,500 marijuana plants and statewide have eradicated more than three million plants. CAMP operations are planned in the county throughout the summer. http://www.times-standard.com/ci_13229888?source=most_emailed Three raids net 6,000 pot plants, one grower By Staff Reports /08/29/2009 The Butte County Sheriff's Office Friday reported raiding three illegal marijuana grows this week, seizing about 6,000 plants and arresting one grower. A second man, apparently unaware of a pot garden on his property, was arrested as a felon in possession of guns and ammunition. The raid Monday was in the vicinity of Highway 70 and Four Trees Road near Pulga. No one was found at the garden, but a camp and kitchen area appeared to have been recently used. Much of the marijuana had already been harvested, but 1,430 plants were destroyed. A loaded .22-caliber semiautomatic pistol was also found. Medical Marijuana and Associated Issues California Chiefs of Police Association Medical Marijuana Task Force July to September 2009 22 Tuesday a search warrant was served at the Feather Falls area travel trailer of Ira Geist, 57. Geist was found with multiple loaded firearms, which as a felon he is not allowed…….It appeared that Geist had no knowledge of the illegal marijuana grow nearby. As investigators entered the garden, four men fled into the surrounding brush. Many of the marijuana plots had already been harvested and recently replanted. Investigators eradicated 2,779 marijuana plants. The state Department of Fish and Game assisted on this raid. Then Thursday the sheriff's Marijuana Unit and Fish and Game raided a garden in the Milsap Bar area of the Plumas National Forest……Investigators found notes that at least 58 pounds of marijuana had been harvested from this garden prior to this raid. Investigators eradicated 1,831 marijuana plants close to being ready for harvest….. http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_13229750 Marijuana bust in Forest Ranch The Gridley Herald /Thu Aug 20, 2009 Gridley, Calif. -On August 18, the Butte County Sheriff’s Marijuana Unit along with Sheriff’s Deputies raided two marijuana gardens. The first garden was in the Forest Ranch area off of Garland Road. Deputies entered the marijuana garden area and waited for the suspect(s) to come tend the marijuana plants……Deputies eradicated 1,902 marijuana plants from that marijuana garden. The estimated street value would have been $7,608,000. Salcedo and Bejinez were booked into the Butte County Jail on charges of Cultivation of Marijuana and Sales of Marijuana with a bail of $100,000. In total 5,478 marijuana plants were eradicated and three suspects were arrested. Anyone with information about suspicious activity regarding illegal marijuana activity is encouraged to contact the Butte County Sheriff’s Marijuana Unit at 538-7389. You can remain anonymous. http://www.gridleyherald.com/news/x1528804961/Marijuana-bust-in-Forest-Ranch Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) As of August 26th, CAMP has eradicated 3,534,400 marijuana plants throughout California. With more than a month remaining in the CAMP season, the total seizure amount should near 4 million plants. CAMP’s previous annual seizure record was set last year with 2.9 million marijuana plants eradicated. In addition to the eradication efforts, the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement’s Marijuana Investigation Teams are continuing to conduct successful investigations of Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations that are responsible for huge marijuana growing and distribution networks. One recent investigation in the Sacramento Valley derailed a poly-drug group that was growing marijuana in Northern California and shipping the harvest across the United States as far as the East Coast. BUREAU OF NARCOTIC ENFORCEMENT DOJ AT A GLANCE -SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 39,115 plants were pulled from the Rainbow Ridge area, but four suspects elude capture By Anita Burke /Mail Tribune 09/12/2009 Siskiyou County County authorities pulled 39,115 marijuana plants from the Rainbow Ridge area near Lake Siskiyou on Thursday, but four suspected growers spotted in the woods escaped arrest, the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department reported on Friday. Eight gardens were found scattered throughout the brush and timber in a roughly one-square-mile area that was steep and inaccessible, officials said. Brim Aviation of Ashland flew deputies from Lake Siskiyou to the growing operations. A law-enforcement team that included deputies and representatives of the U.S. Forest Service and California Department of Fish and Game saw at least four suspects fleeing the area dressed in woodland-type camouflage Medical Marijuana and Associated Issues California Chiefs of Police Association Medical Marijuana Task Force July to September 2009 23 clothing. One of those suspects was seen carrying a gun, the sheriff's department news release said. Late in the afternoon a Mount Shasta police officer saw two men dressed in camouflage clothing, which he described as extremely dirty, walking along a road just west of the city of Mount Shasta near Interstate 5, the release said. When the officer turned around to contact the two men, they ran into the woods. Officers from Mount Shasta police, California Highway Patrol, the U.S. Forest Service and the sheriff's department searched the area but couldn't find the two men. The highway patrol brought a helicopter from Redding to search from the air. In the news release, Sgt. Mike Gilley, who heads the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department Marijuana Eradication Unit, reminded people that the start of hunting season coincides with Northern California's peak marijuana harvest season, season, a dangerous time when marijuana growers have the most to lose. Sophisticated marijuana gardens on public lands, could pose a threat to hunters, hikers or anyone who accidentally walks into a site, he said. Gilley advised people to be aware of their surroundings and to avoid areas where they see suspicious activity such as gardening supplies, hoses or PVC pipe, camouflage netting, or isolated camps in the woods. Anyone who finds evidence of a marijuana patch should immediately leave the area and contact law enforcement. http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090912/NEWS/909120316#STS=fzlqwp5k.2 2g2 Sheriff's Department seizes 2,500 marijuana plants along Highway 150 Agents have hauled off more than 111,000 marijuana plants this year Thursday, September 17, 2009 VENTURA COUNTY — Agents with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department destroyed another marijuana plantation on Wednesday, removing some 2,500 plants from an area along Highway 150 near the Santa Barbara County line. A record amount of marijuana has been seized in the Los Padres National Forest this year, according to sheriff’s officials. Agents have hauled off more than 111,000 marijuana plants this year, nearly twice the haul in 2008, when 58,000 plants were removed. Investigators said marijuana growers are becoming more brazen in their operations. At the same time, law enforcement agents have adopted new tactics in finding and seizing marijuana plantations. Investigators said many of the plantations are run by Mexican drug cartels. http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/se p/17/sheriffs-department-seizes-2500-marijuana-plants/10,000 Marijuana Plants Destroyed By Monterey County Narcotics Unit Published by Scott Castruita on September 17, 2009 State and local authorities on Friday destroyed a marijuana plantation containing several thousand plants in Monterey County, according to the sheriff’s office. Officers from a sheriff’s narcotics unit and the California Department of Justice eradicated a marijuana grow found in the Partington Ridge area of the Los Padres National Forest at around 8 a.m., the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office reported Approximately 10,000 marijuana plants with a potential street value of $40 million were eradicated, according to the sheriff’s office. No suspects were found in the garden at the time of the operation. The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information regarding marijuana grow operations is encouraged to contact the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office at (831) 755-3772 http://fugitive.com/archives/11700 Mountain marijuana grows getting bigger and bigger BY STEVE E. SWENSON, Californian staff writer | Last Updated Friday, Sep 18 2009 Medical Marijuana and Associated Issues California Chiefs of Police Association Medical Marijuana Task Force July to September 2009 24 Marijuana plants seized in Kern County 2004 --21,283, 2005 --63,070, 2006 --44,706, 2007 --147,584, 2008 --159,376, 2009 --169,059 The hills of Kern County have been alive with the sound of marijuana cultivation. The air space above the hills has also been alive with the sound of helicopters looking for the green leafy plants. That has led to a record seizure of plants this year, Kern County sheriff's officials have said. And the season won't be over until later next month. At least some of the gardens removed this year have been financed by Mexico drug interests, sheriff's spokesman Michael Whorf said. Plant seizures have increased from about 21,000 plants in 2004 to about 169,000 plants this year, reported Sgt. Mike Bonsness of the sheriff's major violator unit. The value of this year's haul has been pegged at $676 million. That's at the rate of $4,000 a plant, which is what deputies believe is the wholesale price of a pound of marijuana. The number of plants seized more than tripled in 2007 from the year before. They increased even more in the last two years. Deputies aren't sure if that means more people are growing the plants in Kern County, or they are just catching more, Whorf said. They are catching more because they are getting more grant money to finance the time and effort into looking, he said. He said he didn't know how much grant money is used for these projects. While Kern County is finding more marijuana plants, it's significantly behind the leading marijuana growing counties in the state. Lake County found about 500,000 plants in 2007 and 2008. Tulare and Shasta counties seized nearly 400,000 plants, while Mendocino and Humbolt uprooted well over 200,000 in one or both of the last two years. Such seizures are part of a state CAMP (Campaign Against Marijuana Planting) operation that began in 1983. Those who operate the gardens typically tap into spring water to irrigate their crop. They are generally well armed and guard the plants, although they have planned escape routes if needed, officers say. So far this year, Kern County authorities have arrested 25 suspects and seized 25 firearms. http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x746310431/Mountain-marijuana-grows-getting-bigger-andbigger Mendocino County officials arrest 38 in pot raids The Associated Press /09/28/2009 UKIAH, Calif.—Mendocino County authorities say they've arrested 38 people and seized thousands of marijuana plants in a series of raids on marijuana gardens. Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman says law enforcement officials found more than 53,000 marijuana plants, 30 pounds of hashish and more than $25,000 in cash last week in searches near the communities of Laytonville and Covelo. Allman says some of the raids were prompted after law officials conducting an air search for marijuana gardens spotted water pipes illegally diverting water from the Eel River. Nine county, state and federal agencies participated in the operations. http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_13441063?nclick_check=1 Marijuana Eradication Season Drawing To A Close Bill Johnson, MML News Director /September 28, 2009 Sonora, CA --The close of the 2009 record setting marijuana eradication season for